Eryngo
ORD. Umbelliferae. A genus of hardy or nearly hardy herbs, usually perennial and spiny. It comprises more than a hundred species, natives of temperate and sub - tropical regions, the majority being South American. Flowers congregated into oblong or roundish dense heads; lower bracts usually the largest, and forming an involucre round the head of flowers. Radical leaves, as well as the cauline ones, sheathing more or less at the base. Many species of this genus are very handsome plants, and are well suited for growing in borders and in sub-tropical gardens. They thrive best in a light sandy soil. Increased by carefully-made divisions, or by seed. E. alpinum (alpine).* fl. in oblong heads; involucre, along with the upper part of the herb and the flowers, of a beautiful blue colour. July and August. l., radical and lower cauline ones on long petioles, deeply cordate, serrate-toothed; upper cauline ones palmately lobed, ciliately serrated; leaves of the involucre ten to twenty, rather soft, a little longer than the head of flowers. h. 1 1/2ft. to 2ft. Europe, 1597. Hardy. (B. M. 922.) E. amethystinum (amethyst-coloured).* fl. amethyst colour, in globose heads. July and August. l., radical ones pinnatifid; lobes cut, spiny, somewhat pinnatifid. Stems smoothish, corymbosely branched at the apex; leaves of the involucre seven to eight, lanceolate, furnished with a few teeth at the base, much exceeding in length the head of flowers. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Europe, 1648. Hardy.
E. aquaticum (aquatic). fl. white or very pale blue, in globose heads. July to September. l. broadly linear, with parallel nerves, remotely spinosely-ciliate; lower leaves rather ensiform; upper ones lanceolate, toothed; leaves of the involucre eight to nine, shorter than the heads of flowers. h. 2ft. to 3ft. North America, 1699. Hardy. SYN. E. yuccaefolium. (B. R. 372.) E. Bourgati (Bourgat's).* fl. bluish, in ovate heads. June to August. l., radical ones orbicular, tripartite; lobes pinnatifid or cut in a forked manner, quite entire between the divisions; leaves of involucre ten to twelve, lanceolate, pungent, erect, much longer than the head of flowers. Stems simple, a little branched at the apex. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Pyrenees, 1731. Hardy. E. bromeliaefolium (Bromelia-leaved). fl. white, in round heads. July. l. with parallel nerves, bearing large subulate teeth, which are shorter than the breadth of the leaves; radical ones very long, broadly lanceolate-linear; involucral leaves ten, lanceolate, exceeding the head of flowers. h. 3ft. to 4ft. Mexico. Half-hardy.
E. campestre (field). fl. blue, in roundish heads. July and August. l., radical ones nearly ternate; segments pinnatifid; lobes ovate; cauline ones auriculated; leaves of involucre linear-lanceolate, exceeding the heads of flowers. Stem panicled. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Europe, &c. (Britain). (Sy. En. B. 570.) E. dichotomum (spreading). fl. blue, in globose heads. July and August. l., radical ones petiolate, oblong, cordate at the base, toothed; cauline ones palmately parted, spreading; lobes spiny-toothed; leaves of involucre lanceolate, much longer than the heads of flowers. h. 1ft. to 2ft. South Europe, &c., 1820. Hardy. E. Lasseauxii (R. H. 1874, 375) is closely allied to E. dichotomum, but the panicle of reddish-purple flowers is loose. E. eburneum (ivory). fl. whitish; panicle cylindrical in outline. Autumn. l., radical ones 2ft. to 3ft. in length, edged with rigid spines; cauline ones broad. h. 6ft. Brazil, 1872. Hardy. (R. H. 1876, 112.) E. giganteum (gigantic).* fl. blue, in ovate heads. July and August. l., radical ones on long petioles, profoundly cordate, crenate-toothed; cauline ones stem-clasping, deeply lobed, serrated; leaves of involucre eight to nine, large, longer than the heads of flowers. Stem dichotomously branched, 3ft. to 4ft. high. Caucasus, 1820. Hardy.
E. maritimum (sea). Sea Holly. fl. very pale blue, in roundish heads. July to October. l. of a whitish-glaucous hue, coriaceous; radical ones on long petioles, roundish, cordate, spiny-toothed; superior ones stem-clasping, palmately lobed; leaves of involucre five to seven, ovate, exceeding the heads of flowers. h. 1ft. to 1 1/2ft. Europe, &c. (Britain). (Sy. En. B. 569.) E. pandanifolium (Pandanus-leaved).* fl. purplish, in rather small globose heads, with scarcely any involucre; panicle very large, dichotomous. l., radical ones 4ft. to 6ft. long, very glaucous, concave, acuminated; margins spiny. h. 10ft. to 15ft. Monte Video. Half-hardy. (G. C. n. s., v. 76.) E. paniculatum (panicled). fl. greenish-white, with a small horizontal involucre, rather large. l. with parallel nerves, linear, spiny-ciliated. Stem nearly naked, bearing at the apex umbellate branches; branches bearing one to three heads. h. 3ft. to 5ft. Monte Video. Half-hardy. (G. C. n. s., v. 76.) E. planum (flat-leaved). fl. blue, in roundish heads. July and August. l., lower ones on long petioles, oval, cordate, undivided; superior ones five-parted, serrated; leaves of involucre six to eight, lanceolate, about equal to or exceeding the heads of flowers. h. 2ft. Eastern Europe, &c., 1596. Hardy.
E. platyphyllum (broad-leaved). A synonym of E. serra. E. serra (saw). fl. white, in small globose heads. Autumn. l., radical ones in a spreading rosette, 1ft. to 2ft. long, 4in. broad, nearly flat, varying from deeply pinnatifid to merely spinous on the margins. h. 4ft. to 6ft. Brazil, 1872. Half-hardy. SYN. E. platyphyllum.
E. yuccaefolium (Yucca-leaved). A synonym of E. aquaticum.